


Ghosts of the Past

by Burgie



Category: Starshine Legacy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 04:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13473912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Inspired by the old photo that Linda finds in the first SSL game of the four girls and Little Starshine. When Anita and her friends become lost in the old mine, a ghost appears to guide them.





	Ghosts of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Did you know that I have played this game so many times and I always read every bit of text but every single time, the article has said 'old mine' in my head instead of 'old graveyard'. Maybe because of the mining articles before it. But anyway.

Anita hung back while Eliza clawed at the grass that was tangled in the old chain-link fence. She really didn’t want to be here, the sun was doing such awful things to her pale skin, even her parasol was having trouble keeping the sun off. But Eliza was one of her best friends, despite her ruffian tendencies, and she’d felt compelled to come along. Just in case Eliza ended up getting herself hurt or worse.

“Finally!” Eliza declared, crawling backwards on her hands and knees and then kneeling to grin at the hole that she’d managed to clip in the fence with the bolt-cutters that their other friend, Alexandra, had lent her. She handed them back, Alexandra pocketing them in her overalls.

“You really shouldn’t be crawling around in a skirt, Eliza,” said Anita, turning her nose up. Alexandra nudged her.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, princess, but there’s only one way through that fence,” said Alexandra, grinning. The other blonde in the group had a few teeth missing in her smile.

“And who said that I’m going through there?” asked Anita, recoiling from the fence and wrinkling her nose.

“What, are you chicken?” asked Eliza. Anita gasped.

“I am not a chicken, Eliza!” said Anita.

“Then you won’t mind going through first?” asked Eliza, pointing at the hole. Anita grumbled, but she hitched up her skirts and walked over to the fence, where she stood in front of it and looked dubiously at the hole.

“Oh, come on, Anita!” Melinda, their dark-skinned friend cried. “I need to find out what’s in there, the school excursion only stayed on the path and we saw nothing!”

But Anita wasn’t sure. Suddenly, the part of the mine that was blocked off to the public looked dark and foreboding. This mine had collapsed a few years ago, that was what the teacher had said. Her heart raced, and her palms began to sweat, dampening the thin cotton gloves that she wore. But then her friends started clucking behind her, and that just wasn’t acceptable. Frowning, Anita pulled her gloves off, tucked them into her collar, and lowered herself to her hands and knees, making sure to keep her dress pulled down over her rump so that the teasing wouldn’t turn into what colour her underwear was.

Once Anita was through, fixing the stray strands of hair that had escaped her bun from beneath her hat, the other three crawled through faster, first Eliza, then Alexandra, and finally Melinda, dragging a large camera with her so that the strap wouldn’t get caught on the fence and strangle her. Standing up, she dropped the camera around her neck, then gazed around wonderingly.

“We’re in uncharted territory now, girls,” said Melinda, fixing her glasses. “Let’s explore.” With grins and hollers of excitement, the three girls ran off, though Anita was more acareful, hitching her dress up now that she had to pick her way over dirt and rocks.

As the four of them found a cave, Melinda held up a torch, her camera flash lighting up sections of the ruins. Eliza took the torch from her, though, staring up at the cobwebs on the ceiling. Anita chose not to think about the cobwebs.

“Wow, there’s so much to see here,” said Melinda, her mouth open in shock. “Why didn’t the teachers bring us through here? We could’ve learned so much more!”

“Maybe because it’s dangerous?” said Anita, eyeing off the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. 

“I wonder if we’ll find any dead bodies,” said Alexandra, her brown eyes shining with excitement.

“I hope not,” said Anita, recoiling at the very idea. “I might faint clean away, and this would become my tomb as well.”

“Gosh, Anita, you’re so dramatic,” said Eliza with a roll of her green eyes. “We won’t find any dead bodies, the cleanup crew probably found them all already.”

“Not if it was too dangerous to send people in here,” said Anita.

“Well then, they should’ve done a better job of keeping us out,” said Alexandra.

“They had a fence,” said Anita. Alexandra shrugged.

Alexandra took the lead, taking the torch from Eliza and shining it into any dark space that she could find. Anita had the strong feeling that her friend was looking for anything scary, something that would make her scream. And then, suddenly, as they walked down a narrow corridor, something flew out of the darkness. Anita screamed and ducked, as did the other three as bats flew over them. Alexandra dropped the torch, which rolled a few feet away and suddenly dropped, plunging the group into darkness.

The screaming died down after a while, replaced by quiet sniffles and crying. All four girls clung tightly to each other, desperate for warmth and comfort in the terrifying darkness.

“Alex?” Anita whimpered. “I’m scared.”

“Me too,” Alexandra whispered. “But it’s okay, someone will come looking for us.”

“Well, whatever you do, don’t move,” said Melinda. “That torch fell down a hole, and I don’t know where it was. I don’t even know what direction we’re facing right now.” Eliza whimpered too, pressing her face into the closest person that she could find.

After a time of being in the darkness, though, the girls began to be able to distinguish shapes. First just shadows, and then they could see ledges and even little pits in the ground and rocks on the ground. Just small pebbles, of course.

“Where is that light coming from?” asked Melinda, squinting around in the gloom. They still hadn’t stopped holding each other, still too terrified to move. Anita’s hair stuck to her neck from the sweat pouring off of her.

“I don’t know,” said Eliza, also squinting. “It looks like it’s coming from over there…”

From the pit where the torch had fallen, there was, indeed, a glow. And it appeared to be getting stronger.

“Maybe it’s the torch,” said Alexandra hopefully.

“But then why is it getting brighter?” asked Melinda.

“Maybe it’s a ghost,” said Eliza. Anita whined, burying her face into Alexandra’s shoulder.

As the light got brighter, Anita’s trembling increased so much that her legs gave way, and Alexandra had to help her sit on the ground, where Anita hugged her knees and her teeth chattered.

“It is a ghost,” Eliza breathed, but Anita was too busy hiding her face in her knees to look. But then, a sense of calm washed over her, and peace. Anita’s heart slowed down, and she looked up, still trembling slightly.

Above the chasm in front of them floated a beautiful, ghostly woman, her long hair floating around her head in an ethereal breeze. Her skirts from her long dress also fluttered in this breeze, and in her hand was the torch, from which the light was pouring. There was a sound of harps about her, and she was smiling benevolently.

“Do not be afraid, my children,” said the woman. “I have come here not to alarm you, only to save you.”

“W-who are you?” asked Melinda, and Anita was surprised to see that the bookworm of the group was shaking.

“I am Aideen,” said the ghost. Melinda gasped.

“You mean the creator of this island?” asked Melinda. “That Aideen?”

“One and the same,” said Aideen, giving a single nod. “And, though the four of you may believe that you came here looking for adventure, the truth is that you were brought here by me.”

“What? But how?” asked Melinda.

“I called you here,” said Aideen.

“But whatever for?” asked Anita, surprised to find herself even daring to speak. Aideen only gave them another mysterious smile.

“Allow me to tell you girls a story,” said Aideen. “This story is a very old one, one that you may have heard before. But it is, nevertheless, a true one.” The other three girls joined Anita in sitting on the ground, cross-legged as though it were story time in school.

“Once, long ago,” Aideen began, “A meteor crashed into the sea. Out of the sea rose an island, and on this island, there was a girl on a horse. That was me. I rode across the island, a flame in one hand and a harp in the other, and everywhere that my light touched, life grew. Plants, animals, and, most important of all, horses. But, just when I thought that my new creation would be peaceful and beautiful, a great evil arrived in the form of a crashed spaceship. This was Garnok, a dark, evil creature who wished to bring ruin upon this earth by tearing down the walls between this world and Pandoria, thereby letting in the evil pink land to warp this beautiful home. And so I struck a bargain with the creatures who had been piloting this prison ship, lending to them four parts of my magic. Lightning, to fight, moon, to see future moves plotted by the enemy, sun, to guard the wards between Pandoria and the real world and to prevent it all falling down, and star, to heal even the most mortal of wounds. These four creatures, who resembled horses with the bodies of men, changed form, becoming female centaurs. Their names are difficult for a human tongue to pronounce, but they were known as Alex, Linda, Anne, and Lisa, respectively. Through the years, their powers have been passed down to four different girls, but there are always the four guardians existing at the same time. Never more, never less. Sometimes, I join them, but only if the battle seems most dire.”

“Are we those girls?” asked Melinda, her mind working quickly even after drinking in all of this new information.

“Yes,” said Aideen. “The names differ slightly between the cycles, but it is always some variation of those four names. I’m sure that you can figure out amongst yourselves who is who.”

“But what does it mean?” asked Alexandra. “What are our powers?”

“That is not for me to explain,” said Aideen. “I have a friend, Fripp, who always helps to guide each generation’s Soul Riders. Go to the Secret Stone Circle, somewhere in the woods, and you will find him.”

“But how are we supposed to find that?” asked Eliza. “Is there a map or something?”

“No,” said Aideen. “Unfortunately not. But if you go into the woods, I can promise you that you will find your way to the Secret Stone Circle one way or another. It may be scary, but it must be done, for the good of Jorvik and the world. Fripp will be able to explain more once you find him.”

“This is all so weird,” Anita murmured. “And yet, I believe you.” Aideen smiled, the light flowing out from her both warming and comforting.

“I will send someone to rescue you four,” said Aideen. “I am afraid that my powers have damaged this torch beyond repair.” She chuckled. “That and the drop, I am sure.”

“Will you wait with us?” asked Melinda. “I have so much more that I want to ask you!”

“I am afraid not, young ones,” said Aideen. “My time here is limited, and I must leave. But find Fripp. I am sure that you have already found your Soul Steeds.” Eliza shook her head, but the other three nodded. Anita had her Conker in her family’s stables, Alexandra had Tim, and Melinda had Matthias. But Aideen smiled, despite Eliza’s negative response.

Even after the light had faded away, the four girls remained calm. 

“I wish she’d been able to stay,” said Melinda, leaning against the wall. “I could’ve found out so much from her.”

“I know, but I’m sure this Fripp guy will help us,” said Alexandra. “Now, we just have to wait for whoever is coming to rescue us.”

“At least I have good company,” said Anita, smiling. She didn’t even mind, now, that her dress had gotten quite filthy.

Their rescuer, quite fittingly, was a horse. The sound of hoofsteps alerted them at first, causing them all to cautiously rise to their feet so as not to be trodden on by a horse in the dark, but light soon shone on them all. Its source was a lantern hanging from the jaws of a small white horse, who walked into the narrow gap that the girls had gone through. His mane and tail were both blue, and he had a blue stripe down his nose, but otherwise, he was pure white, which the light reflected off of so that he acted like a beacon. He tossed his head slightly, beckoning them.

The girls followed the horse out of the cave and into the sunlight, glad to be out in the fresh air once more, though they had to squint and blink a few times against the blinding sun after so long in the dark. The voices were heard very soon, all adults, and the girls ran to their parents, hugging and receiving hugs in return as well as mild scoldings.

“Where were you? I was worried sick about you!” Anita’s mother scolded her, and Anita looked down at her feet, feeling very embarrassed. “And just look at your dress!”

“That was a very irresponsible thing to do, young lady,” said her father. Anita’s bottom lip wobbled, especially when she heard the way the parents of her friends were fussing over them but hugging them at the same time.

Fortunately, a reporter soon dragged Anita away from her parents and back to her friends, saying that he wanted to take a photo of them with the horse, who was named Little Starshine. Eliza seemed to have taken a real shine to him, petting his nose and beaming up at him. The photographer moved them around a little, posing them, until Alexandra sat with her legs out to the side in front of the group like a mermaid, Eliza stood with one arm around Little Starshine and the other arm around Melinda, who stood beside her, and Anita stood off to the side, her parasol cocked behind her so that she looked like a lady despite her rather messy appearance. As the camera flash went off, Anita knew that her life had changed forever.


End file.
